The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-05-06
WICKED WATERS.
Running Property in Maine and the
Provinces.
Children CO to School and Voters to
Town Meeting In Boats.
A Storehouse Needed to Accommo-
date Accommodating Mail.

BANGOR. May 5.-The water remains at
about the same pitch at Bangor to-day, and
is still doing considerable damage. The
bridge piers are being slowly undermined,
and the structure is in very shaky condl-
ton everywhere. Bangor suffers more to-
day from the flood than on any day since the
rise of water commenced. Last night the
pressure at the dam broke the connecting
rod of the main pumps in the water works,
completely disabling them. These are, of
course, used all the time, and to-day they
have fallen batk upon a rotary pump, which
is kept for emergencies. Only about one
eighth of the city's water supply is available
to-day. All sprinkling of the streets has
been stopped, and the clouds Of dust almost
put a stop to business. All the elevators in
the city which are run by water or steam
have been shut down, and the other water
motors have also been ordered not to run.
Should there be nrenelee- today or tonight
the damage would be exceedingly 1afge
especially if it was any distance from the
water points. The Maine Central people are
unable to say when they will be able to start
train for st. John, but think it will be two
days at the least The washouts at Costi-
gan. Kingman and Mattawamkeag continue
to grow larger, and nothing can be done to
stop the running water. Houses are starting
from their foundations all along the river,
and thousands of dollars worth of house,
hold property has been washed away. Com
paratively few families have been made
homeless by the floods, but there are hun
dreds who have met with serious losses, and
much suffering on this account must certain
ly ensue within the next few months.
Farmers will be weeks behind with their
crops, and there is not town but that will
have to place tax rates at very large figure
to make up for bridge losses and great high
way damages.
All the trestlework supporting the railroad
at Saltwater has been torn away, and divers
houses there belonging to John Morrison &
Co, have fioated down the river. The Maine
Central is running train between Bangor
and Oldtown to-day, but it makes slow pro-
gress A large force Of men is at work, try
ing to get the track in shape for business.
The Bangor and Piscataquis trains are run
ming all right, but business is suspended on
the Bangor and Katahdin Iron Works road,
where there are many washouts. The Pts
cataquis river rose twenty-five feet, making
highways impossible and flooding houses
The new woollen mill dam and the most of
the great Campbell dam at Sangerville have
been washed away, suspending mill opera
tons there for long time. The Guilford
bridge has been nearly destroyed by an i'm
mense jam of logs, and the Brownville mills
dam partly carried out.
At the Red bridge in this city some of the
houses are flooded, and the families have
been transferred in boats to places of safety.
Some of the city school buildings in subur
ban districts are surrounded so that the
teachers and pupils go to school in boats
Numerous roads leading out of Bangor are
flooded so that they cannot be travelled
Mayor Bragg receives dispatches constantly
from up river posting him on the condition
Of the water. 1t is not thought that the
great rise up river will amount to as much
here. Many of the wharves are being dam
aged BY logs which come down and strike
them. Hundreds of dollars worth of logs
are passing here, and nothing can be done to
stop them.
Hareand are flooded, and five stores there
were undermined and fell from their founda-
tions, causing great loss. Several houses
tipped over into the river, and others which
started that way have been secured by lines
Boats are used to pass along the streets, and
hardly building has escaped. A. Linn,
the great woolen mill owner, is the heaviest
loser. His damage will be over $4,000, it is
thought, and two months viii be required to
get the factory running again. Hartland
loses more than any other town in this vi
cinity.
The carload of mail matter for provincial,
Eastern Maine and Aroostook points, which
was forwarded from here to Portland yes
terday to go to Eastport and St. John, has
been returned, the steamer refusing to take
any but the most important letter mail.
Storehouses for mail sacks will be required
if the blockade continues much longer. The
heavy rain did but little damage in the yicin-
ity of Moosehead Lake. The west wing of
the dam at the east outlet was in danger at
one time, but is all right now. The dam on
Misery stream was carried out. The land
ings are solid with ice, but if they can get
the logs in the water before it falls the great
West branch drive, which is the key to the
price of lumber all along the Atlantic sea-
board, will come down the river all right.
Great damage has been done at Dexter to
the woolen mills, and operations there will
be suspended for some time. At Bradley,
this week, a town meeting was held to which
the voters went in boats.